The Short List

Sat Sep 28 2024

Nicole Fallert | Newsletter Writer

@nicolefallert

Good morning, and welcome to the Short List weekend edition! 🍂 I'm Nicole Fallert, coming to you from a very autumnal coffee shop (think "Gilmore Girls"). Wherever you are, I hope you're surrounding yourself with all the fall energy *sips pumpkin-spice coffee.* Here are 8 U.S. cities with the most fall vibes if you're craving some foliage-heavy Instagram stories.

Here are this week's must-reads from USA TODAY.

A Michigan cold case got a spark from evidence 800 miles away

Untested rape kits have piled up in evidence rooms and storage sheds across the country. Almost nobody thought it was a problem – until an assistant prosecutor walked into a Detroit warehouse in 2009. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, who had been raped as a law student, was outraged by her assistant's discovery: More than 11,000 untested rape kits, which had languished in that warehouse for years. Click here to read about the trial the discovery led to in an exclusive USA TODAY series, UNTESTED.

👉 Keep reading the UNTESTED series: Chapter 2, The Chase. | Chapter 3, The Trial . | About this story. | 8 lessons learned.

How some Florida boaters rode out Hurricane Helene

As Helene hit Florida's Gulf Coast as a Category 4 storm this week, some Floridians opted to take to the water for their survival. They did so despite evacuation orders made ahead of the Category 4 hurricane and grisly warnings that foretold death for those who stayed. And once a storm reaches a certain intensity, no rescues can be made. Read how some Floridians outlasted Helen from within the waves.

•	Here's why Helene's categorization matters so much.
•	WATCH: This video shows the Coast Guard rescue a boater and a dog during Helene.

Microdosing Ozempic is a bad idea, right?

The explosion of interest in weight-loss medication from brands like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro has rocked the medical and pharmaceutical landscape. People everywhere are clamoring for these drugs, and, sometimes, not just to lose weight. The popularity of the drug has led more and more people to wonder if "microdosing" Ozempic and similar medications is an option for them. Though off-label use, microdosing, or taking these drugs at a dose smaller than the standard amount can have serious health benefits, according to experts − when done under the care and guidance of a doctor. Read more